SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

DEMOPOLIS &8212; Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital in Demopolis will sponsor a United Blood Services blood drive in memory of Missy Scarbrough, R.N., from 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursday in the hospital&8217;s classroom.

All blood types are needed, especially type O negative and O positive. Of all hospital patients who will need blood, 50 percent will use type O.

To donate blood, you must be 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, have not donated in the past eight weeks, and are not currently taking antibiotics. Also, United Blood Services requires donors to show identification containing a legal name and one of the following: date of birth, social security number, United Blood Services assigned donor number, or photo of the donor. Some types of identification are: driver&8217;s license, UBS donor card, social security card, security badge (picture and donor&8217;s name) and passport.

According to United Blood Services, which serves Marengo, Greene, Hale, Clark, Tuscaloosa, Fayette, Sumter and Pickens counties in West Alabama, along with other facilities in East Mississippi, someone needs blood every three seconds. These patients may be accident victims, undergoing surgery, or patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer and other diseases. The blood donation process is safe, quick and easy and could help to save a life.

To sign up to donate, call 287-2626.